Let's Drive Off Into the Sunset
by pixie diva
Summary: Dean tries to teach Cas how to drive, and it doesn't go so well.


"I don't see why this is necessary," Castiel said. If it had been anybody else, it might have been classified as whining, but angels of the lord did not whine.

Except he wasn't an angel, not anymore. Castiel had fallen for good. He was a man now. And he was whining.

"Dude, we spend nine hours a day in a car," said Dean. "And you really don't think you need to know how to drive?"

"I'll be with you," Castiel pointed out. "You know how to drive."

"Maybe I'd like a break from the wheel sometimes."

"I find that highly unlikely."

In the backseat of the Impala, Sam guffawed. Dean scowled at him in the rearview mirror. "Enough from the peanut gallery."

"I'm sorry, but he has a point," said Sam. "You barely even let me drive."

"It's my car!"

"Exactly," said Castiel. "It doesn't need three experienced drivers."

"Cas, there are just some things a man needs to know how to do," Dean insisted, "And driving a car is one of them."

Castiel sighed. "Where do I start?"

"Seriously?"

"I've never driven a car before, Dean," Castiel said huffily. "I don't know all of your hot rod tricks."

"Hot rod tricks?" Sam wondered aloud.

"You-" Dean stopped himself, apparently rethinking what he was about to say. He took a deep breath instead. "Okay. Okay. Just turn the key in the ignition."

In the drivers seat, Castiel gingerly reached over and turned the key. The Impala rumbled to life.

"Wait!" Sam yelped. Immediately, Castiel turned the engine off.

The look Dean shot at Sam was poisonous. "_What?"_

"He's never even read a drivers manual before, Dean," said Sam. "Maybe you should explain to him what the gears and pedals do before he guns the engine."

And now Dean was kicking himself for not thinking of that first. "Okay, listen up Cas: Those are the brakes, the gas, and the clutch." He pointed at each pedal as he named it. "Clutch is what you press when you need to switch gears. Gears, ah..." Dean scratched the back of his head. He had been driving stick since he was fourteen, but at this point it was so intuitive, he wasn't sure if he could even explain it. "Gears are a little more complicated," he said finally. "We'll go over them later. For now, I'll handle them and you just put your hand over mine to get a feel for it, okay?"

"Okay." Castiel was starting to look nervous, and Dean hoped that he hadn't overwhelmed the poor guy with too much information. He rested his hand on the gear shift, bizarrely unfamiliar in his left hand, and Cas carefully placed his hand over Dean's.

"Don't worry, you're going to be great," Dean said encouragingly. "Okay, now start the engine-"

"Clutch," Sam reminded him.

Talk about backseat drivers! But since he was right, Dean resisted the urge to snap at his little brother. "Uh, right. Okay Cas, press down on the clutch. _Slowly_," he added quickly when he heard Sam draw in a breath, "And then start the engine."

Cas did as instructed. His hand on Dean's felt a little shaky, and Dean awkwardly patted it with his free hand, wordlessly letting him know that he would be just fine. Cas let out the breath he had been holding.

Dean managed to navigate Castiel into first gear pretty successfully. Cas stalled out the car his first few tries, but soon they were inching along, and he felt himself relax.

"Okay, I'm going to switch us into second gear now," Dean said after a minute. "Very, very carefully press the clutch and don't ease up until I say so."

Castiel gulped, and carefully went about the task. His brow was furrowed in a studious line, his eyes glued to the empty country road ahead.

Cas was so focused on his task, and things were going so well, that Dean didn't really think when it came time to give his next instruction. "Ease off the clutch and hit the gas," was all he said.

Sam made a strangled noise, right before Castiel _punched _the gas, and the Impala shot forward. Everyone was thrown forward against their seatbelts, and the Impala fishtailed dangerously from the clumsy driving.

"Too fast! Too fast!" Dean yelled.

"Hand brake! Hand brake!" Sam shouted from the backseat.

Sam's panicked suggestion cut through to Dean immediately, and he yanked his hand out from under Castiel's and pulled the emergency brake. The car lurched to a stop, and Dean heard Sam breathe an enormous sigh of relief. Castiel sat rigid and upright, knuckles white where they gripped the steering wheel too tightly, blue eyes huge in his face.

For a good five minutes, Dean sat stock still, his heart hammering in his chest. Then he unbuckled his seatbelt, turned off the ignition, and jumped out of the car. He circled it carefully, running his hands along the hood and the sides and the trunk, inspecting for damage and murmuring to it soothingly.

"Jesus Dean, it's a car," said Sam, climbing out of the backseat.

"She's been through a trauma!" Dean replied defensively.

"I think I have a better idea of how this works now," Castiel called, still sitting in the front of the Impala. "I don't think I will make that mistake again."

"I know you won't." Dean circled around to the front seat and popped open the door, jerking his thumb in a motion that clearly said _get out. _"Not in this car, anyway. Tomorrow, we are signing you up for drivers ed."


End file.
